Slasher beam brake



July 3, 1956 R. M. INGHAM, JR 2,752,659 SLASHER BEAM BRAKE Filed 001.. 23, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. R. M. NGHAMJR.

ATTORNEY July 3, 1956 R. M. INGHAM, JR 2,752,659 SLASHER BEAM BRAKE Filed Oct. 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. QM. $NQHAM,JQ.

ATTORNEY SLASHER BEAM BRAKE Robert M. lngharn, Jr., Spartanburg, S. C., assignor to Deering Miliiken Research Corporation, near Pendleton, Oconee County, S. C., a corporation of Delaware Application October 23, 1951, Serial No. 252,681 8 Claims. (Cl. 2828) This invention relates to a beam brake for warp slash- Sltates Patent Ofice ers and is particularly directed to a device for applying a controllable constant running friction and a stopping friction to the shaft or gudgeon of the section beams of a warp slasher.

In the slashing operation a number of section beams or flanged cylinders previously wound with a multitude of Warp threads or ends are supported by a creel in staggered relationship in two tiers or levels. The ends from the back beam, supported, for example, in the top level, are passed under the next beam, disposed in the bottom level, where they are joined by or combined with the ends carried by that beam. The combined ends then proceed over the next top beam where they are joined by that set of ends, and so on, until all the ends carried by the section beams emerge from the creel as a single sheet of parallel filaments. The sheet moves to the size box Where it is immersed in a sizing solution, then through squeeze rollers and to drying cylinders. Thereafter, the ends are separated by split or lease rods, passed through an expansion comb, and are finally wound onto a loom beam at the head or front of the slasher machine.

Generally, each section beam has a gudgeon or stub shaft at each end thereof which is supported in antifriction bearings carried by standards or creel-posts upstanding from a rectangular frame or creel base.

During the slashing of cotton it is desirable to constantly maintain suflicient tension in the warp to prevent sagging but with a minimum stretch of the threads. If the warp sags or is too slack, the individual ends, which are usually in a twisted condition, tend to kink and foul with adjacent filaments causing broken threads or ends In addition to increasing the number of broken is more difficult to separate at the In other words, the warp ends which are more or less united or stuck together to form a web by the application of the size are not as readily separated by the lease rods when slack as when held in tension.

The yarn should be stretched only a minimum amount in order to preserve maximum elasticity in the yarn. It has been determined that after application of the sizing solution, a cotton yarn is capable of being stretched less than 10 per cent before rupture will occur. When it is recalled that during the weaving operation the yarn is subjected to considerable stress, it is apparent that if a major portion of the stretch available to the yarn has been removed as a result of excessive tension during slashing, the yarn will be virtually impossible to weave.

Furthermore, where the tension in the yarn is high and differs from section beam to section beam, the supply on each beam will not run out at the same time. The excess yarn remaining on a set of beams after at least one of the set has run out is known as soft waste and represents a considerable loss to the mill, since for all practical purposes it cannot be reclaimed as yarn and, hence, must be sold at a substantial reduction in price Patented July 3, 1956 from that which it would have brought as cloth. By maintaining a low even tension in the warp, a considerable saving may therefore be effected.

To maintain this tension in the warp, a constant amount of friction must be applied to each section beam throughout the period of operation of the slasher, which friction may be designated running friction.

In addition to therunning friction and, more or less, supplementing it is that friction which must be applied to arrest the rotation of the beam when the speed of the slasher is checked, which friction may be designated stopping'friction. When it is considered that a full section beam weighs betweenfour and five hundred pounds, it is immediately seen that the inertia of the beam or the tendency thereof to rotate after the driving torque is removed is quite high and that a relatively great amount of braking force, in the order of three to five times that required as running friction, is required to prevent overrunning of the beams when the slasher is brought to a standstill.

Heretofore, the only slasher brake that has been commercially acceptable to the mills comprises a rope secured at one end extending around one of the flanges at the end of the beam in the direction of rotation therea weight on its free end, the friction between the rope and flange tending to resist rotation of the beam. An obvious modification and one sometimes employed is the provision of a spring at the free end of the rope instead of the weight.

Manifestly, if enough friction is applied to the beam by this means to prevent the beams overrunning, the warp is maintained under so high a tension as to impart excessive stretch thereto.

Furthermore, the friction applied by such an arrangement is by no means uniform since the rope stretches, due to the constant tension to which it is subjected, and frays and wears so that the braking surface is no longer even, resulting in the braking force applied to one beam being difierent from that applied to the others, thus increasing the amount of soft waste remaining at the end of a set.

It is, therefore, the object of this invention to provide a means for braking slasher section beams which will apply a constant braking force to the beams while they are undergoing rotation and, upon removal of the driving torque, will apply a much greater force to bring the same to rest.

Another object of this invention is to provide a means for applying stopping friction to a number of section beams which means is automatically responsive to the action of the control mechanism of the slasher.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of means to gradually release the stopping brake when the slasher is started up so that the braking effort is completely removed only when the slasher has achieved full speed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cotton warp slasher with a brake which will maintain minimum tension in the warp while the slasher is in operation and reduce the amount of soft waste remaining when a set of section beams has run out.

A still further object is to provide braking means for a plurality of section beams which means are adjustable relative to. each beam so that an even tension may be maintained in the warp. An additional object of this invention is to provide a warp slasher with means for maintaining the tension in the warp threads in the region between the creel and size box within the desired range.

'Otherand further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partially diagrammatic showing certain parts of a slasher embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of my brake in operative relationship with the gudgeon of a section beam;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my invention in association with a section beam and support;

Figure 4 is a detail view, partially in section, of the valve and solenoid operative with the brake to in part control the same;

Figure 5 is a sectional view along line 2; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the control switch and actuating mechanism in cooperative relationship.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a slasher of conventional type including a creel 11 and size box 12, the drying cylinders, thread separating means, thread take-up means and slasher driving means being not shown since they are of the type with which slashers are customarily equipped.

The creel 11 is of the usual construction and comprises a base or frame 20 having the usual standards 22 upstanding therefrom. as to support a plurality of section beams 24-27 in staggered relationship in two tiers. Each. beam includes a barrel 31 on which the warp threads W have been previously wound. At each end of the barrel 31 is a head or flange 32, and projecting axially from each head is a gudgeon or stub shaft 33 which is supported in bearings 34 journaled in a slide 35 slidably mounted at the top of each standard 22, the slide 35 being adjustable by means of screw 36.

Disposed adjacent the bearing is my brake, generally designated as 40. The brake, as is best seen in Figure 2, consists of a top shoe 42 and a bottom shoe 42' hinged together at one end thereof by pin 41extending through slots 39 provided in a U- otally secured to the slide 35 erate to embrace a portion of internally with a brake lining Projecting from the freeend of each of the shoes 42 and 42 and integral therewith is a log or car 45 in which is provided a slot 46, the slots of the two shoes being substantially in registration with one another. Pivotally carried by a pin 47 disposed within the slot provided in the lug of bottom shoe 42 is one end of a link 50, having a draw bolt 52 pivotably connected thereto at a point spaced a short distance from the pivoted end thereof, the bolt extending up through the slot in the lug of top shoe 42, being normally held in this position by a wing nut 53. The purpose of this arrangement is to provide a toggle VV of Figure by a bolt. The shoes coop the gudgeon 33, being lined 44 of conventional material.

The standards 22 are so arranged haped bracket 43 which is piv- I have provided a two-way air valve 65 having an inlet port 66, an outlet port 67 and an exhaust port 68, a piston 69 reciprocating within said valve to place outlet port 67 in communication with inlet port 66 and exhaust port 68 alternately. Compressed air is supplied to the inlet port 66 through a pipe 81 extending from any desired source, such as a reservoir, not shown. A conduit 71 connects outlet port 67 with the air cylinders 62.

The valve piston 69 is reciprocated by means of a solenoid 75 which is energized or de-energized as a result of the closing or opening of a cam operated switch 76 actuated by the shifter mechanism, not shown, of the slasher machine. The arrangement by which thisis accomplished is best seen in Figure 6, showing in diagrammatic form part of the usual shifter mechanism of the slasher machine. A three-pulley system, generally designated 90, operatively connected to the slasher through a shaft 91, is driven by a belt 79, the pulley 92 nearest the slasher'being the idler, the intermediate pul iey 93, the slow speed drive, and the outside pulley 94, the fast speed drive. The belt 79 is shiftable to and from adjacent pulleys by a belt guide 96 provided with fingers 95 which engage the edges of the belt to move it from one pulley to'another. The linkage which connects the slasher control handle and belt guide is not shown since it is the same as that normally found on slashers of this type. The belt guide is provided with a cam surface 97 on which rides cam roller 98, the switch 76 being opened and closed by the movement of roller 98, as is clearly seen in Figure 6. The cam 97 is so spaced from the end of bar 96 that switch 76 is not closed until the belt is moved onto the fast speed pulley 94, thereby releasing the brakes only after the slasher has reached its full running speed and applying the brakes as soon as the speed of the slasher is reduced.

In operation, the connecting link 56 is disconnected from the piston rod 60 of the air cylinder 62 to relieve the tension on the entire linkage so that the draw bolt 52 may be removed from the slot in the top lug 45. This permits the top brake shoe 42 to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction in Figure 2 to open the brake for the reception of the gudgeon 33. When the gudgeon is in place, the section beam then being in operative position, the top shoe is rotated back to its original position, the draw bolt reinserted in the slot in the lug of the top shoe and the connecting linkage reconnected to the piston rod of the air cylinder. After the shoes are back in operative position, air is admitted to the air cylinders and linkage connecting the two shoes so that as the link is rocked the shoes are either brought together or moved apart.

A lever 55 having a yoke at one end is adjustably secured at its other end to the free end of link 50. Pivotably carried by the yoke for limited sliding movement laterally of the lever 55 is a connecting link 56 having an extension 57 which is encircled by a compression spring 58, one end of the spring bearing against the brake lever 55 and the other against a nut 59 carried threadwise by extension 57. The other end of connecting link 56 is removably secured to a rod 60 of piston 61 which reciprocates in an air cylinder 62. .A return spring 78 encircles the rod 60 and is arranged to resist the action of the air on the face of piston 61. The air cylinder and piston unit is preferably a pre-assembled unit such as the Mead Midget Air Clamp, model H-l, manufactured by the Mead Specialties Company of Chicago, Illinois. The return spring with which this unit is equipped, however, is not sufficiently strong for my purpose and must be replaced with a stronger one, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In order to supply air to aplurality-of cylinders 62,

preliminary adjustment made which consists of tightening the draw bolt 52 to that extent necessary to cause the brake lever 55 to assume a position substantially midway of its permissible movement relative to the connecting link 56. After exhausting the air from the air cylinders, the unit is ready for use.

As the shifter handle is moved to its starting position to start up the slasher, switch 76 is closed, thus energizing solenoid 75 to reciprocate the valve piston 69 to that position at which the inlet 66 and outlet 67 are in communication. This permits compressed air to flow from the reservoir, not shown, through the valve 65 to the air cylinders 62 where it acts against the face of piston 61, moving it to the right against the action of the piston spring 78. This movement of the piston is transmitted through the linkage to the brake shoes spreading them sufficiently apart to remove the stopping friction. As a result, however, of the limited movement of the brake lever 55 relative to the connecting link 56 and of the action of the spring 58 on the lever 55, a small amount of force continues to urge the brake shoes together, thereby applying enough torque to the gudgeon to maintain the warp at the proper running tension.

In order to prevent the stopping friction from being suddenly released when the slasher machine is started, there is provided an orifice 80 in the conduit 81 connecting the reservoir, not shown, and the inlet port 66 of air valve 65. While the size of the orifice 80' may vary widely dependent upon the speed at which it is desired to release the braking friction, I have found that an orifice having a diameter of 0.040 inch is well suited for this purpose.

It should be apparent that the magnitude of the running friction is largely governed by the strength of the spring 58 and that this spring should be selected with this factor in mind. The actual effective force of the spring may, of course, be adjusted by screwing nut 59 on the extension 57 to the desired position. I have found that if the force of this spring is adjusted to apply a torque of 1-3 foot pounds to the beam when the slasher is running at a speed of 30-40 yards per minute, the running tension in the warp will be maintained at a satisfactory level.

The stopping force, of course, varies with the strength of the return spring in the air cylinder and while this spring may be selected so as to halt the rotation of the beam in any desired period of time, I have found that a spring having that force necessary to apply a torque of 911 foot pounds to the beam rotating at the same speed as above is sufiicient to bring the beam to a quick stop.

The choice of particular springs necessary to give the above torques will depend on the mechanical advantage of the linkage system. If a larger mechanical advantage is provided, a smaller spring can be employed and vice versa. I prefer to use a linkage having an advantage in the neighborhood of 12-1.

While my brake was specifically designed for use in conjunction with slashers provided with ball bearings and ball bearing mounting fixtures, such as those manufactured by the West Point Foundry & Machine Co., West Point, Georgia, and by the Fafnir Bearing Co., New Britain, Connecticut, and is shown in association with a slasher so equipped, the modification of my brake necessary to make it applicable to slashers equipped with other types of bearings should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

Notwithstanding the fact that I have shown my invention in association with a slasher peculiarly adapted to be used for the slashing of a cotton warp, I do not intend that its use is limited thereto and I consider it obvious that my invention is capable of being modified for use with slashers of other types.

It is to be understood that the description hereinabove 1s illustrative and that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

The following is claimed:

1. The combination with a warp ing said threads from said beams and to said box, driving means for said means for starting and stopping said means for maintaining tension in the yarn in the region between the beams and size box as said driving means is started or stopped and during the operation of the slasher, said means comprising friction means constantly applying a torque to the section beam, and means cooperating with said control means to cause the torque applied by said friction means to increase when the rate of operation of said slasher is being decreased and to decrease when the rate of operation of the slasher is being increased.

2. In a warp slasher wherein warp threads are unwound from a plurality of section beams, the gudgeons of which are supported in a creel, passed to a size box, immersed in a sizing solution contained in said box, dried, separated and wound on a loom beam, the improvement of a means for maintaining tension in the threads in the region between the creel and size box, said means comprising braking means constantly applying a torque to delivering the same rolls and control driving means, of

the gudgeon on at least one side means cooperating with the control mechanism for starting and stopping the slasher to cause said braking means to apply a much greater torque to said gudgeons.

3. The combination with a warp slasher including a creel supporting the gudgeons of a plurality of section beams having a multiplicity of warp threads wound thereon, a size box, driven feed rolls in the neighborhood of said box, driven drying cylinders, thread separating means, driven thread take-up means, means driving said driven elements, and starting and stopping means for said driving means, the threads being unwound from said beams, passed through said feed rolls, through said size box, over said drying cylinders, and through said separating means to said take-up means; of brake shoes frictionally engaging the surface of a gudgeon on at least one end of each beam, a first spring means biasing said shoes together, a second spring means biasing said shoes together, and means operable to remove the force of said second spring means from said shoes, said last-named means being operated in response to the action of said starting means.

4. A brake for section beams of a warp slasher having a conventional control mechanism for starting and stopping said slasher, comprising braking means movable from a position at which a constant amount of frictional force is applied to the shafts of said beams to a position at which a much greater amount of force is so applied, means controlled by compressed air to move said braking means to said latter position, means for supplying compressed air to and exhausting said air from said controlled means, and means responsive to the movement of said control mechanism for causing said last means to supply air to or exhaust air from said controlled means.

5. Device as in claim 4 wherein said braking means comprises a pair of brake shoes pivoted together at one end thereof, a toggle linkage connected to said shoes for moving said shoes toward and away from each other, an arm secured at one end to said linkage, a link having one end thereof atfixed for limited movement to the other end of said arm, adjustable spring means carried by said end of said link for resiliently positioning said arm with re spect to said link; and said controlled means comprising a compressed air cylinder, having a piston to which is removably attached the free end of said link.

6. In combination with a warp slasher including control means for stopping and starting said slasher and a creel rotatably supporting a plurality of section beams having gudgeons, means engaging a gudgeon on each of said beams for applying a constant amount of friction to the individual gudgeons of said beams to maintain a slight amount of tension in the warp, means operable to apply a greater amount of friction to said gudgeons to halt rotation of the same, and means associated with said control means for operating said last-named means when said control means is shifted to reduce the speed of the slasher and to release said last-named means when said slasher is started.

7. In combination with a warp slasher having control means therefor and including a pair of brake shoes substantially encircling at least one end of the shaft of each secton beam, spring means constantly urging said shoes together, means operable to overcome all but a small amount of the force exerted by said spring means, and means associated with said control means for operating said last-named means when said control means is actuated to reduce the speed of the slasher.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said penultimate means includes an air cylinder, valve means for supplying air to and releasing air from said cylinder, and electrical means for controlling said valve means and said ultimate means comprises switch means operable to energize and deenergize said electrical means.

(References on following page) of each beam, and

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Buschmann Apr. 11, 1905 Herr Sept. 27, 1910 Berger Mar. 10, 1925 Arnold May 25, 1925 Post June 29, 1937 Runton June 6, 1939 Shackelford Jan. 16, 1940 Benoit Feb. 8, 1944 Schnell Oct. 10, 1950 Bauer Mar. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain May 18, 1937 

